Andina Decamp
Andina Decamp (born 26 July 1988) is a Brunanter singer-songwriter from Sint-Willemstad who sings R&B, soul and retro-inspired songs. Decamp, born Andina Elisabeth Decamp mostly sang in bars and "seedy places" before being signed to a record deal with Revolt Music in 2014. Andina sings primarily in Dutch, but her album contains two English-language songs. Biography Early life Decamp was born in Sint-Willemstad. She is of Dutch and Afro-Carribean descent, with her mother, Helena Decamp, an Anglo-Dutch immigrant, and her unknown father possibly being a Spanish national of Afro-Caribbean descent. Helena Decamp worked as a prostitute, and after an intimate encounter with Decamp's father, Helena became pregnant with Decamp, and gave birth to her only illegitimate child on July 26, 1988. Rather than putting Decamp up for adoption, Helena decided to raise Decamp alongside with her boyfriend in their one-room apartment. To supplement her income, Decamp began working days as a waitress and continued her work as a call girl by night, while her boyfriend worked as a full-time auto mechanic. Decamp's childhood was deeply affected by her stepfather, Kent Toole, an English expatriate whose addiction to heroin and alcohol contributed to his relationship with Helena adversely. According to Decamp, her stepfather was an emotionally troubled man who had fantasies of committing murder-suicide. Toole frequently brandished a knife as a threat to Decamp and his mother. Despite her unstable family life, Decamp was able to attend school as a normal child, without issue. She had decent grades and had several close friends growing up. Since Decamp's mother severed all ties with her family in the Netherlands, and Toole refused to reach out to his family, Decamp and her parents often spent the holidays at home. Unable to go out with her friends on such days, Decamp recalled, "Whenever the holiday season came by, I knew it was going to be more time trapped at home, stuck between arguments and fights. When Christmas arrived, all I got for a present was a teddy bear. One time, my stepfather gave it to me on that day, and the next day, he ripped it up during one of his episodes of rage." Music career Growing up listening to a broad spectrum of music, Decamp developed an interest in both playing music and singing. At the age of 13, she earned enough money through work to buy her first guitar, and self-taught herself. Joining a music club at her secondary school, Decamp began performing at her school and entered competitions. After graduation, Decamp wanted to study abroad at a school that focused on the arts and music, but because she could not afford it, was forced to work to support her parents, who were both unemployed at that point, due to their worsening drug addictions and alcohol consumption. She said at one point, she contemplated "doing what Mom did", highlighting the severity of her financial situation, and limitation of her future prospects. However, Decamp ultimately found work doing gigs at local bars and clubs, singing as an amateur performer, and playing on the streets. Decamp became heavily involved in local nightlife, and in a 2016 interview admitted that it was "a time which in retrospect, is filled with regret and shame" as she began drinking and sleeping around with bar attendees and clubgoers. She experienced mild depression in her early 20s, and started to seek counseling, as her relationship with her parents deteriorated. In 2004, she was kicked out of the home and moved in with her boyfriend, Lars, whom she depended on as emotional and financial support. In 2007, after three years of no contact with her mother, Decamp discovered that her mother had passed away from a drug overdose Success Andina began singing around 2005 and performed in bars, clubs and on the street. She was noticed for indie record label Artiste but issues arose and her recorded material was never released. In 2014 she sent demos of her music to several record labels before being signed to Stereophone's Revolt Music. She began recording an EP throughout the fall and None in the World was released on 26 January 2015, with lead single Girl with the Brains making it to number 3 in the Brunanter charts. In 2016 she began work on a full album, titled Gitane. The lead single from it was the song Unextraordinary (Ordinary). again written by her. The album was released in December 2016. She undertook a tour throughout 2017 and then took a break from music. In mid-2018, she began working on new music and in October released her first single in over 18 months, In The Deep. Discography None in the World.png|None in the World (2015, EP) Girl with the Brains.png|Girl With The Brains (2015, single) Unextraordinary.png|Unextraordinary (2016, single) Gitane.png|Gitane (2016, album) In the Deep.png|In The Deep (2018, single) Category:1988 births Category:Revolt Music Category:Living people Category:Andina Decamp Category:Musicians